MEGAN AUMAN

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props

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Its so sad that Domino has gone the way of House & Garden – but I’m glad I kept all my old magazines.  They make great props!
PS – I’m working hard to get all the photography done on the new home collection so I can make everything available for sale online.  You should see them in my shop soon!

what I’m reading: the art of innovation

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For a long time, I always thought that if there was one company that I would absolutely love to work for, it would be Pixar. (Lately I’ve been obsessed with watching the behind the scenes footage on all my Pixar DVDs.) But after reading The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley, I’ve changed my mind. The company I’d most love to work for is IDEO.

Truth is, my goal is actually to run my own company, but fortunately for me, The Art of Innovation gives you insights how you can incorporate the IDEO methodology into your own business.

It’s also wonderfully insightful for anyone who designs objects that are used by people. One of the best chapters was the one on direct observation, which really resonated last week at the gift fair as I watched people interact with my products. Sometimes as designers, we become so familiar with our own products that we forget to consider how newcomers will respond to them. Utilizing IDEO’s observation strategies, its easier to consider the needs of our potential customers.

The chapter on hot teams made me dream of the day when I can afford to hire fabulous employees and surround myself with good people. Which reminds me of one of the concepts in Good to Great – first who, then what – meaning that the people you have in a company are more important than the products you’re making. (Actually, a lot of the ideas in The Art of Innovation paralleled the concepts in Good to Great – which only solidifies IDEO’s ability to understand what it takes to create a great company.)

And after reading the chapter on creating a workplace that facilitates innovation, I can’t wait to go home and reorganize my workspace. Plus, I’ve now got grand plans to steal space in my parents barn to set up a big space to play and test out new ideas.

The book is easy to read and full of inspiring ideas and useful action items. I’d highly recommend it.

a shameless plug

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My brother Tim has joined the blogosphere, and I promised him a little mention here.  I love how he moves between computer art, animation, and film production – with lots of other things thrown in.  Check out his blog for all his inspiration and process shots.
(Perhaps in exchange for the shout out, he’ll let me have one his “Roots” prints to hang in my kitchen.  Hint, hint.)

the groundhog lies

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The groundhog was obviously lying, because rumor has it that its going to be nice this weekend.  Its been forever since I’ve been for a nice, long bike ride – and I’m looking forward to it so much I thought I’d do a little round-up of some great bike stuff I’ve spotted around the internet lately.

Normally, I’m such a chicken – but bike riding makes me brave – and lately I’ve been feeling the urge to go careening down a mountain on my bike.  Which is totally fueled by this folding bike the Bergmonch.  A folding bike thats also a backpack that makes it easy to hike uphill and bike down.  Ridden by a monk!  Watch the video for yourself and tell me you don’t want one:


Bergmönch from Thomas Kaiser on Vimeo.
via TreeHugger

I love that people have been using design as a way to make bicycling more accessible.  And I love that multiple people emailed me about this light lane – a rear bike light that creates an instant bike lane behind you. 

Sadly, its only a prototype, but I’m betting a production model would sell like crazy.

Until that time, I might have to satisfy myself with the Knog Skink – such a simple, elegant solution to bike lighting.  No crazy, ugly plastic clips here.  I love it when good design meets bike accessories.

via Bike Hugger and available for purchase here.

gift fair wrap-up

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I took yesterday off to decompress and relax after a long gift fair week (not to mention a stressful few weeks getting ready for the show).  

Now that I’m back, it seems like I’ve got even more work to do than before.  I didn’t write the number of orders that I was hoping to (the show was painfully slow) but I feel like I really learned a lot in the process.  In fact, I was amazed at how much I didn’t know when it came to the difference between selling jewelry and selling the new home collection.
So here are some of the things I’ve learned or am considering for next time, in no particular order:
Give people visual cues about the way a product is used – Buyers really didn’t seem to understand what some of my items were, or how they were meant to be used.  What I think is so obviously a basket or a wall panel was not so clear to others.  I need to do a better job of staging the objects so that people immediately recognize how they can be used.
Use the booth space to create an experience/tell a story – Even though my booth was visually clean, it didn’t really communicate anything special about my brand or my products.  In addition to better staging my objects, I need to create an environment for them.  There are two directions I could go with the booth – one being a home/domestic environment and the other being a focus on design.  I certainly think one commands a higher price point than the other.
I need to do a better job of communicating the ideas behind my brand – there are certain values that are important to me as a designer, such as producing goods locally in small batches.  These things make the prices higher, but can also command a higher price when communicated to the right audience.  I need to figure out a way to communicate these ideas without cheesy “made in the USA” stickers.
Make a catalog – everyone wants a catalog they can pick up and carry around with them.  The fact that I haven’t done one yet is bad.  On the flip side, members of the press seemed totally ok with me sending them a digital press kit once I was home.
Ship my work – this is absolutely the last show that I drive and deliver my own work to.  It was a nightmare!
Speaking of which, I guess I should finally go unload the car…

your opinion wanted

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Quick question for all of you out in blog land-

if you were to attend a little art/craft/design business gathering, what sort of topics would you like to see presented? And how much would you be willing to pay for a 2 or 3 hour event? What if it included food or drink?

And because I love your feedback so much, I’m going to pick one commenter at random and send you a laser cut coffee cup cozy.

my "wow" moment

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Day one at the gift fair – I think I finished setting up about an hour after the show opened!  But at least its finished.  Then I spent most of the rest of the day thinking about how I could redesign the booth.
Traffic was a little slow today, but I generally got a good response to the work.  Not a lot of orders, but I really think right now people want to look around the show before they buy.
This afternoon, I walked by the Jonathan Adler booth, and Jonathan Adler was actually in it.  It was such a crazy “wow” moment – I’m exhibiting in the same section of the show as Jonathan Adler.  Now if only Tord Boontje would pop by the Artecnica booth, I might just die.

setting up at the gift fair

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I spent all day in the Javits Center setting up my booth, and I’m still not quite done.  (And the show opens tomorrow!)  Here are some pics to show the progression of my setup.  I spent the extra money to get the package booth, which included hard walls and lights.  It saved so much hassle – all I had to do was paint the walls.




I’m not 100% happy with the outcome – I think the platforms in the front of the booth are a little low, and in retrospect, the black and white seems a little boring.  But this is my first booth with this new work, and I know how long it took me to get a booth I was happy with for my jewelry.  So now I’ve got lots of things to think about for next time.